Power Harrow Combis, Are they really any good?

DRC

Member
you only have wheelings because of cultivation, it’s a hamster wheel of doom !
So you can guarantee no wheelings if you grow beet, maize and spuds. I’m in if that’s the case.
another wet autumn and with the best will in the world, we wouldn’t be able to drill without ploughing after those most profitable crops for us.
 

Clive

Staff Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lichfield
So you can guarantee no wheelings if you grow beet, maize and spuds. I’m in if that’s the case.
another wet autumn and with the best will in the world, we wouldn’t be able to drill without ploughing after those most profitable crops for us.

i’m talking about combinable crops, obviously
 

Clive

Staff Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lichfield
I will disagree with you mainly because you have no understanding of our land or farming system.

Its possible it could work how well is debatable.

a neighbour is having a go and I’m watching with interest

but do feel it would require significant investment which I can’t justify

i don’t buy into the “significant investment” bit - you can buy direct drilling kit for less than the cost of a plough and power harrow combi and you need less power............. i certainly could not afford the investment to start cultivating my farm !


if your farming system involves roots then i will agree its of limited (but not zero) value to you

there are very few soil types that can’t be no tilled however
 

Drillman

Member
Mixed Farmer
i don’t buy into the “significant investment” bit - you can buy direct drilling kit for less than the cost of a plough and power harrow combi and you need less power............. i certainly could not afford the investment to start cultivating my farm !


if your farming system involves roots then i will agree its of limited (but not zero) value to you

there are very few soil types that can’t be no tilled however
Ok fair enough but remember we’re not just arable we have stock so round bales to move and muck to spread. grain trailers we try to keep on tramlines but can’t always, same with bale trailers. Loading bales there’s no hope of staying on tramlines.
plough and combi drill are here to stay as we do contract work for other farms that have to be done that way due to there farming system.

as said a neighbour is having a go at DD I watch with interest. Although he doesn’t have the same level of field traffic we do.

any heavily trafficked areas would need one hell of a drill to get seed in the ground.
neighbour wen I looked has seed not buried on paddled areas. Doesn’t help that we’re more stone than soil. Discs won’t cut thru stone very well.

oh and if you can find me a half decent DD drill for a couple grand please tell me about it cos that’s about all our cultivation kit is worth!
 
Last edited:

Norfolk Olly

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
norfolk
So you can guarantee no wheelings if you grow beet, maize and spuds. I’m in if that’s the case.
another wet autumn and with the best will in the world, we wouldn’t be able to drill without ploughing after those most profitable crops for us.
Ive spent the majority of the week rectifying ex spud fields in the hope of getting a wheat crop in which looking st the forecast for next week is doubtful. Very rarely is it the harvester that does the damage but the trailers, the benefits of a self propelled bunker harvester should be noted for getting the following crop in aswell as the current crop out. The biggest issue we have is that lifting to order you very rarely stop no matter how wet it gets and being on predominantly light land alot cant lift so then we pick up their orders also, bit of a catch 22 situation. And like yourself we would struggle without a plough and combi drill
 

Drillman

Member
Mixed Farmer
Ive spent the majority of the week rectifying ex spud fields in the hope of getting a wheat crop in which looking st the forecast for next week is doubtful. Very rarely is it the harvester that does the damage but the trailers, the benefits of a self propelled bunker harvester should be noted for getting the following crop in aswell as the current crop out. The biggest issue we have is that lifting to order you very rarely stop no matter how wet it gets and being on predominantly light land alot cant lift so then we pick up their orders also, bit of a catch 22 situation. And like yourself we would struggle without a plough and combi drill
Spuds wreck the land imo. There banned here.
 
you only have wheelings because of cultivation, it’s a hamster wheel of doom !
Clive its not that long ago ,you where running zerions and quad tracks and vaddy drills ,
You keep peddling your holier than thou no till ,
It maybe suits your land and combinables only ,farm and fair play to you ,to have it working
But throw ,roots into the mix , you have to put steel through it , and start again ,
Drillmans land if i think where he is will be heavy wold land , high flint content ,and quite high , and cold , and plough combi works ,
Been drilling today ,maybe should of been in shed ,but when the devil drives ,needs must , nice loamy soil in good order after beans , was going well till it rained , straight in with combi , when rained ,sheet over drill ,and plough dropped in front ,ploughed dry soil up , be interesting to see difference , dont think a dd type drill would of gone , but plough combi ,field finished , next one was ex tulips ,and levelled and subsoiler to take out compaction down the bed wheelings ,and had oats oil raddish mustard ,was going to drill straight into it ,it digs with a spade beatifull ,but will get ploughed and drilled tommorow as will bring dry soil up ,
Please tell us lesser folk how to do it ,
Heavily root cropped land , and does get some pig muck and chicken , stubble turnips ,oil raddish ,and owt else to keep some thing in the soil and all straw chopped ,but some ofbit you could put 50 ton of muck on every year ,and not see where its gone
Some does not self structure , you can go down a foot in some and into pure yellow gravel , and above it it is full of flint ,
 

texelburger

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Herefordshire
I would love to try DD but after seeing yields,locally,of direct drilling against plough combi drill I am reluctant to.Nearly every Direct driller reported poor to average crops whilst the people ploughing followed by combi had good yields.Why ?
 

Clive

Staff Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lichfield
Clive its not that long ago ,you where running zerions and quad tracks and vaddy drills ,
You keep peddling your holier than thou no till ,
It maybe suits your land and combinables only ,farm and fair play to you ,to have it working
But throw ,roots into the mix , you have to put steel through it , and start again ,
Drillmans land if i think where he is will be heavy wold land , high flint content ,and quite high , and cold , and plough combi works ,
Been drilling today ,maybe should of been in shed ,but when the devil drives ,needs must , nice loamy soil in good order after beans , was going well till it rained , straight in with combi , when rained ,sheet over drill ,and plough dropped in front ,ploughed dry soil up , be interesting to see difference , dont think a dd type drill would of gone , but plough combi ,field finished , next one was ex tulips ,and levelled and subsoiler to take out compaction down the bed wheelings ,and had oats oil raddish mustard ,was going to drill straight into it ,it digs with a spade beatifull ,but will get ploughed and drilled tommorow as will bring dry soil up ,
Please tell us lesser folk how to do it ,
Heavily root cropped land , and does get some pig muck and chicken , stubble turnips ,oil raddish ,and owt else to keep some thing in the soil and all straw chopped ,but some ofbit you could put 50 ton of muck on every year ,and not see where its gone
Some does not self structure , you can go down a foot in some and into pure yellow gravel , and above it it is full of flint ,

I did run these machines in the past yes , and before that i ran ploughs and power-harrow combi’s so I know first hand the cost both financially and agronomically

i would suggested that makes me better qualified than many to have observed the differences

im not telling anyone what to do, just sharing my experience............. you don’t have to listen
 
Last edited:

JWL

Member
Location
Hereford
As did we, with a combi, some ploughed some just sub-disced and a small bit just straight into stubble since it came moist enough to soften the top couple of inches
 

glasshouse

Member
Location
lothians
I'm with @Chae1 we've had 150 hp tractors that cant lift a 3m combi once full of seed and a big if soil stuck to them and the same with long clearance ploughs so his is a fair comparison
The discussion is about combi s not ploughs.
I wouldnt entertain a tractor that couldnt lift a muddy 4m combi drill
The point i am trying yo makeis that 250 hp on a 4m willhavenearly double the output of 150hp On the same unit
 

KB6930

Member
Location
Borders
The discussion is about combi s not ploughs.
I wouldnt entertain a tractor that couldnt lift a muddy 4m combi drill
The point i am trying yo makeis that 250 hp on a 4m willhavenearly double the output of 150hp On the same unit
Only in certain conditions our 7930 is nearer 300hp but even in dry light conditions it'll not drag the 4m any more than 12k if it's heavy going you can be at 4k all day long 150hp would be the same as the ground would still need working to create a seedbed but in light going it wouldn't move it nearly as fast
 

glasshouse

Member
Location
lothians
Only in certain conditions our 7930 is nearer 300hp but even in dry light conditions it'll not drag the 4m any more than 12k if it's heavy going you can be at 4k all day long 150hp would be the same as the ground would still need working to create a seedbed but in light going it wouldn't move it nearly as fast
At last you agree
 

Cowcorn

Member
Mixed Farmer
Ok fair enough but remember we’re not just arable we have stock so round bales to move and muck to spread. grain trailers we try to keep on tramlines but can’t always, same with bale trailers. Loading bales there’s no hope of staying on tramlines.
plough and combi drill are here to stay as we do contract work for other farms that have to be done that way due to there farming system.

as said a neighbour is having a go at DD I watch with interest. Although he doesn’t have the same level of field traffic we do.

any heavily trafficked areas would need one hell of a drill to get seed in the ground.
neighbour wen I looked has seed not buried on paddled areas. Doesn’t help that we’re more stone than soil. Discs won’t cut thru stone very well.

oh and if you can find me a half decent DD drill for a couple grand please tell me about it cos that’s about all our cultivation kit is worth!
Well said Drillman !! I too have slurry and dung to spread on my stubbles and bales to gather . Also my two old ploughs and combi would hardly be the deposit on even the cheapest of direct drills . Also as the current system is delivering high yields over what is a modest acreage around 200 acres plus 20 of maize a switch to dd would need to show a serious decrease in costs or a big yield increase . As our current wheat average is over 4 ton acre cant really see how :scratchhead: Im starting to think that this current cover crop and dd craze is mainly for farmers who lack stock skills and are unable to maintain fertility and soil structure without farmyard manure and grass . . But whatever works for me may not work for everyone especially if the life has been flogged out of the land with big quadtracks and heavy iron under the previous best thing
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

  • 0 %

    Votes: 76 43.2%
  • Up to 25%

    Votes: 62 35.2%
  • 25-50%

    Votes: 28 15.9%
  • 50-75%

    Votes: 3 1.7%
  • 75-100%

    Votes: 3 1.7%
  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

    Votes: 4 2.3%

Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

  • 1,284
  • 1
As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
Top